BOSTON POPS CONDUCTOR RESIGNS POST ABRUPTLY

By BERNARD HOLLAND

Published: June 14, 1984

John Williams, the conductor and Oscar-winning film composer, abruptly resigned yesterday evening as music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He will, however, finish the current summer season, according to an announcement by Thomas W. Morris, general manager of the Boston Symphony.

Mr. Williams, who came to the Boston Pops, a part of the Boston Symphony, in 1980 as the successor to Arthur Fiedler, reportedly has been concerned for some time about orchestra discipline.

The resignation was said to have been touched off at a rehearsal conducted by Mr. Williams on Tuesday. That evening he announced to the Boston Pops players' committee that he intended to resign. He originally said that he would not conduct beyond Saturday, according to sources close to the orchestra who asked not to be identified.

However, Boston Symphony officials said yesterday that Mr. Williams would be the conductor at his 15 remaining scheduled appearances this summer, including four Esplanade concerts on Boston's Charles River. One of these will be a July Fourth event to be broadcast live on PBS television.

A Few Hisses Heard

The incident touching off Mr. Williams's displeasure was said to have occurred at a rehearsal of one of his own pieces. A few hisses reportedly came from orchestra players, but such behavior is said to be common toward other composers' works at Pops rehearsals as an expression of opinion. The sources said that the players did not think that that incident alone was strong enough to provoke Mr. Williams to resign.

Two interpretations are being offered for his action: one, that Mr. Williams has felt overloaded by his commitments in Boston and in Hollywood and also wants to turn to more serious conducting. Another theory is that the discipline problem at the Pops - including acts of disrespect - has been weighing on him for some time.

The conductor, who is 52 years old, declined to be interviewed after his resignation was announced by Mr. Morris. In a statement issued through the Boston Pops, he said that his leaving was the result of what he felt to be ''artistic and creative differences'' between himself and the orchestra.

Mr. Morris expressed regret at the departure and gratitude for Mr. Williams's five seasons at the Pops. Player representatives reached by phone expressed admiration for Mr. Williams and regret that he was leaving but refused to comment further.

Mr. Williams, whose contract runs through December 1986, is the 19th conductor to head the Boston Pops. He will shortly begin composing the score for a new movie. His most recent film score was for ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' He also composed the scores for the movies ''Star Wars,'' ''E.T. the Extra Terrestrial'' and ''Superman.''